1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional photographing and three-dimensional playback device by spatial time-sharing method, which enables the three-dimensional photograhing in equipments using optical fiber cables, such as three-dimensional TV receivers for domestic use, three dimensional TV telephone sets, or medical devices for producing three-dimensional images, and which also enables the three-dimensional playback in the above equipments without using any special instrument such as special glasses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional methods for three dimensional photographing and playback devices include methods using special polarized glasses or shutter glasses such as Anaglyph method, a denisty difference method, a polarization method and a time sharing method, methods without using glasses such as a parallax stereogram, a lenticular method, a large concave mirror method and a large convex lens method, multiplex methods such as a parallax stereogram, integral method and lenticular method which are formed as multiplex TV using lenticular plates, spatial modulation such as a varifocal-mirror method, a rotary cylinder method, a screen laminating method a half-mirror synthesizing method and a screen vibrating method; holography such as laser playback holography, and white light hologram. These various methods have been proposed in this field.
It has been attempted to put these methods to practical use for domestic use or business use. In broadcasting media, Anaglyph method using red and blue glasses, and density difference method using Pulfrich effect were tried, but because of the drawbacks that special glasses are required or viewpoint cannot be moved, these methods are difficult to be put to practical use.
The features of the conventional methods are listed in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, other methods than the glass methods also have drawbacks that an image screen cannot be observed simultaneously by plural persons or the devices are not suited to mass production. Therefore, until now a three-dimensional photographing and three-dimensional playback device which can be practically used for domestic use or business use has not been still realized. In Table 1, .circleincircle. means "possible with especially good result", .circle. means "possible", .DELTA. means "sometimes possible" and X means "impossible".
TABLE 1 __________________________________________________________________________ Watching Playback by Movement of land- plural of view- Color- Anima- Mass pro- Kind of 3D images Glasses scape persons point ing tion duction __________________________________________________________________________ Binocular 3D images Anaglyph method Necessary .circle. .circle. X X .circle. .circle. Density difference Necessary .circle. .circle. X .circle. .circle. .circle. method Polarization Necessary .circle. .circle. X .circle. .circle. .circle. method Time-sharing Necessary .circle. .DELTA..about..circle. X .circle. .circle. .circle. method No glasses method Unnecessary .circle. X X .circle. .circle. .DELTA. Real 3D images Multiplex method Unnecessary .circle. X.about..DELTA. .DELTA. .circle. .circle. .DELTA. (Integral method) Spatial modulation Unnecessary X .DELTA. .circle. .circle. .DELTA. .DELTA. Holography Unnecessary X .circle. .circleincircle. X.about..circle. X.about..circle. X __________________________________________________________________________
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional photographing and three-dimensional playback device which enables the simultaneous observation of an image by plural persons, and the movement of a viewpoint without using special glasses, and is suited to mass production.
To accomplish the above object, in the spatial time-sharing type three-dimensional photographing and three-dimensional playback device according to the present invention, the distance between a convex lens in a taking section and an image pickup screen is made equal to the focal length of the convex lens and there is provided a pin hole movable along the surface of the convex lens or through the inner part thereof. And a lens member selected out of a cylindrical lens and a convex lens is disposed in front of an image output screen in a playback section so that the distance between the lens member and the image output screen is made equal to the focal length of the lens member. Further, there is disposed a narrow opening member selected out of a vertical slit or a pin hole, which is movable along the surface of the lens member in the playback section or through the inner part thereof. By synchronized scanning of the pin hole in the taking section and the narrow opening member in the playback section, any image can be photographed and played back three-dimensionally without using any special instrument such as polarized glasses, etc. The three-dimensional playback of landscape pictures or animation pictures is possible, and simultaneous observation of an image by plural persons is also possible. Moreover, it is also possible to obtain different images by moving the viewpoint as if an actual object were seen from different angles.
In this device, monochromatic light or color difference is not utilized so that the device can deal with color information. The structure of the device is simple and conventional equipments and parts can be utilized so that the mass production of the device is easy.
In Table 2, the features of the spatial time-sharing type three dimensional photographing and three-dimensional playback device according to the present invention are listed in comparison with those of conventional devices.
The device of the present invention solves all the drawbacks of conventional device. The present invention is an excellent invention applicable not only to three-dimensional TV receivers for domestic use but also to three-dimensional TV telephone sets, medical devices of three-dimensional purposes, and various equipments in many other fields.
TABLE 2 __________________________________________________________________________ Watching Playback by Movement of land- plural of view- Color- Anima- Mass pro- Kind of 3D images Glasses scape persons point ing tion duction __________________________________________________________________________ Binocular 3D images Anaglyph method Necessary .circle. .circle. X X .circle. .circle. Density difference Necessary .circle. .circle. X .circle. .circle. .circle. method Polarization Necessary .circle. .circle. X .circle. .circle. .circle. method Time-sharing Necessary .circle. .DELTA..about..circle. X .circle. .circle. .circle. method No glasses method Unnecessary .circle. X X .circle. .circle. .DELTA. Real 3D images Multiplex method Unnecessary .circle. X.about..DELTA. .DELTA. .circle. .circle. .DELTA. (Intregral method) Spatial modulation Unnecessary X .DELTA. .circle. .circle. .DELTA. .DELTA. Holography Unnecessary X .circle. .circleincircle. X.about..circle. X.about..circle. X Spatial time-sharing method Unnecessary .circle. .circle. .circleincircle. .circle. .circle. .circle. (The present invention) __________________________________________________________________________